The present invention relates to firearm safety and, more particularly, to restricting the actuation of a firearm by reference to user biometric data.
Gun safety is a paramount issue in today""s society. Advocacy groups on both sides of the xe2x80x9cGun Controlxe2x80x9d issue support the development of devices which prevent unauthorized gun use. Such restrictions are commonly endorsed as means for preventing gun use by children and criminals. Accordingly, efforts have been made to incorporate firearms with devices, which restrict or control use.
Several devices have been developed to address this need for firearm safety devices. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,467,545, 5,502,915, and 5,603,179 disclose gun safety devices, which use finger or hand print data in identifying authorized users and enabling operation. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,528, and 5,459,957 disclose gun safety devices, which use voice recognition circuitry for identifying authorized users and enabling operation.
Some of the above firearm safety devices operate on the firearm""s safety latch, whereby the safety latch can only be disabled by an authorized user. However, the safety latch is an important element of a firearm, which allows an authorized user to disable the firearm so as to prevent accidental firing. Any modifications to the safety latch, which automatically disengage the latch on positive identification of the user, remove an essential feature of the firearm and are thus undesirable. Moreover, the safety latch is not an essential element of the firing mechanism, allowing for circumvention of the devices while an operational firearm remains.
Other existing systems utilize a magnet, or other electromechanical element coupled to the firing hammer to enable or disable firing of the gun. To utilize these prior art devices with existing guns, the guns must be disassembled to install the necessary hardware. Such disassembly, installation of the appropriate hardware, and reassembly of the gun may be difficult to accomplish, resulting in underutilization of the safety devices.
Therefore, there is a need for a firearm safety system that does not require disassembly of the firearm, does not tamper with the firearm safety latch, and controls the actuation of a firearm by reference to an essential element of the firing mechanism.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a system for restricting use of a firearm is presented which does not require disassembly of the firearm and is targeted at disabling an essential element of the firing mechanism, namely the trigger, rather than the safety latch. The safety system further makes use of a person""s fingerprint data, which is a unique personal property that is highly suitable for tracking and control.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a firearm safety system that includes a sensor coupled to the trigger of the firearm. The sensor including a reading surface and is adapted to receive biometric data by a user placing at least a portion of its finger on the reading surface of the sensor. The safety device also includes a latching track that has a latching mechanism electrically coupled to the sensor. The latching mechanism receives at least a control signal from the sensor to disengage the latching mechanism to an open position. The latching mechanism has a sliding ring rigidly coupled to the trigger of the firearm to prevent the displacement of the trigger when the sliding ring cannot move beyond the latching mechanism and to allow the displacement of the trigger when the sliding ring is allowed to move beyond the latching mechanism.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a firearm safety system that includes a sensing element coupled to the trigger of the firearm. The sensing element is adapted to receive biometric data by a user placing at least a portion of its finger on the sensing means. The safety system also includes a latching element electrically coupled to the sensing element. The latching means receives at least a control signal from the sensor to disengage the latching element to an open position. The sliding element is rigidly coupled to the trigger of the firearm to prevent the displacement of the trigger when the sliding element is limited by the latching element and to allow the displacement of the trigger when the sliding means is free of the latching element.
In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a firearm safety system that includes a biometric sensor coupled to the firearm trigger. The biometric sensor is adapted to receive biometric data from a user of the firearm and provide the biometric data to a processor unit. The system also includes a processor unit that is adapted to receive biometric data from the biometric sensor and compare the received biometric data to biometric data associated with at least one authorized user. The processor unit provides at least an enable signal to a sliding latch in response to a matching comparison of the data. The system also includes a sliding latch that has a latch rod and a ring slidably movable about the rod. The latch rod is rigidly coupled to the firearm. The sliding ring is at least rigidly coupled to the trigger latch rod to transfer lateral force to the trigger. The latch rod has a latching mechanism to prevent sliding of the ring beyond a predetermined point on the latch rod to control movement of the trigger by application of lateral force to the trigger.